


Worlds Fall

by twilight_shades



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Accidents, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, On the Road Again Tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 00:43:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11635383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twilight_shades/pseuds/twilight_shades
Summary: Louis has a bad fall off the stage.





	Worlds Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Fiction based on observed public personas and wild speculation. Any resemblance to actual reality is completely coincidental.

It happens so fast. Harry is talking about bananas to all the fans and Louis is a few steps behind him on the runway, leaning down and saying something to a small group yelling out something. Harry steps back and right onto something that had been thrown on the stage and loses his balance, careening into Louis. Louis falls, right off the stage. Liam blinks, frozen where he’s standing, waiting for Louis to pop back up. Except Harry is looking down, horrified, and there’s this awful sound from the audience in that section. And then Niall is jumping down off the stage where Louis had fallen. Liam has no idea how Niall got there, he had been way over on the other end of the runway when Liam had last seen him. Liam snaps out of his daze and heads over.

He can only catch glimpses of Louis and Niall, there are so many people crowding around in that space between the stage and the fans, but Louis isn’t moving at all. Liam swallows and takes a deep breath. Then he steps over to Harry.

Harry stutters out, “I didn’t- He- Oh, god. It’s my fault. I’m so-“ 

“Harry, Harry! It was an accident. Now, help me calm the crowd down,” Liam says firmly.

Harry pulls himself together and he and Liam calm the crowd a little and keep them distracted. The emergency workers get Louis out of there and presumably on the way to the hospital, Niall going along. Harry and Liam work the crowd a little longer and then sent them on their way. Liam’s upset with himself that he’s relieved that it had happened after two encores, so he won’t have to feel guilty about not giving their fans the show they paid for, because how can he think about that with Louis hurt. Liam’s pretty sure Louis didn’t regain consciousness the whole time and that seems like a really bad sign.

~~~

Harry and Liam finally make it to the hospital. It takes them almost three hours due to both traffic and security issues. They’re ushered into Louis’ room. The lights are dim and Niall’s next to the bed. There are cushions on Louis’ hospital bed arranged around him. Louis is kind of propped up on his side and there’s a sling or brace or something holding his arm in place. Niall comes over and tells them quietly that they’d run some scans and they didn’t see any evidence of bleeding in Louis’ brain. Harry sags a little in relief. Though as Niall goes on, he tenses up again.

“He woke up on his own, which is good. But he was out almost half an hour. The first time he woke up, he was really disoriented and they told him what happened. He wrenched his shoulder trying to catch himself. He bruised his left elbow, hip, and knee, along with a couple of ribs on his left side. That’s why he’s arranged like that, so he’s not on the bruises and he can’t roll over on his shoulder. He drifted off again after they got him all settled. They woke him after a bit to do a neuro-something check – ask him questions and stuff. He didn’t remember falling or being told about falling,” Niall says, blowing out a breath.

“That’s, that’s not good, is it?” Liam asks.

“They said that that happens sometimes and it’s not necessarily a problem unless it goes on for longer. They want to monitor him for a full twenty-four hours. There are these charts and scales and things that they explained to me, but it was a bit of a blur, to be honest. Just, it takes time before there are any definite answers, I guess,” Niall says tiredly.

“C’mon, Nialler, let’s go get you something to eat and then we all should get some rest,” Liam says. 

Niall looks like he’s going to protest, but Harry jumps in with, “I’ll stay here with Louis.”

Niall studies at him a second and says, “Weren’t your fault, Harry. Just an accident. But yeah, you stay, watch over him now. They’ll come in and do a check in a bit.”

“Okay,” Harry says, grateful he can do something, anything.

Liam walks over to the bed and reaches out and sets his hand on Louis’ right arm where it’s resting on the bed, carefully avoiding disturbing anything. “Get better, Tommo,” he whispers. Then he turns and herds Niall to the door. Liam claps a hand on Harry’s shoulder and gives him a smile and leaves the room with Niall.

Harry goes over to sit in the chair Niall had been sitting in.

They wake Louis a short time later and they ask him a couple of simple questions that he gets right, so at least there’s that. Harry doesn’t actually mean to, but an apology comes spilling out. Louis gets really confused and agitated. Apparently, he still doesn’t even remember being told about what happened. They get him calmed down and back to sleep and Harry feels even guiltier than before. What if he’s caused some permanent sort of harm? Damaged Louis’ brain in some horribly irreparable way? It’s bad enough that Harry’s injured him at all. If it can’t be fixed, if it’s something Louis can’t heal from, Harry will never forgive himself.

He sits by the bed, trying to keep himself calm, but he feels more and more jittery as the minutes tick by. He’s so clumsy, how can he be so clumsy? Louis looks so small in the bed. Louis’ personality is just so big and bright and can so easily fill a room, but now he’s quiet and unmoving and bruised and bandaged and it’s just so wrong. Harry wants to touch him, put a hand on his shoulder, let him know he’s not alone, but he’s afraid of doing more damage.

The night goes on and they wake Louis a few more times. Harry doesn’t apologize, just tells him that he fell. Louis doesn’t ask questions, which is worrisome, but he doesn’t seem anywhere near as confused or upset as he was the first time, so that’s something. It’s early morning before he actually remembers the last time that they woke him. He doesn’t remember falling or even some of the time before, though his memory from before the concert seems intact. His memory starts to get fuzzy around the start of the concert, and after the first few songs, he doesn’t remember anything until the last time he woke. The doctors say that that is pretty common with head injuries and that Louis may remember at some point, but more likely he won’t remember the incident itself or the hours around it. They still want to keep him under observation and monitor all of his injuries for the full twenty-four hours. 

Louis looks completely disgruntled by the whole thing and Harry is relieved and guilty at the same time, relieved that Louis isn’t hurt as badly as he could have been and that he seems to be more like himself, guilty because he is hurt and upset about being hurt and all that goes with it and it’s Harry’s fault. Harry excuses himself from the room to go call Liam, but actually runs into him and Niall down the hall. He tells them the news and though Liam looks relieved and happy, Niall actually slides down the wall to sit, his relief apparently overwhelming him a bit. Harry thinks it must have been really bad those first few hours. 

Liam lets Harry know that Louis’ mother is flying in, what’s going on with security and management, how they’re going to handle the press about this, and the hotel (the fans had found out where they were staying and it’s gotten really out of hand what with everything, so they’d packed everything into the buses). Liam, Niall, management, and security have been trying to figure out the best course of action because they think Louis, when he’s released, should not have to travel any long distance, at least for a few days. Since last night’s concert was the last one before a two week break, everyone had been planning to fly out today. And apparently, none of the main crew will leave as they all want to make sure Louis is okay before they do. 

Niall gets up and says, “I’m going to go sit with Louis whilst Liam figures out how to get this massive number of people, who are all actually either in a waiting area here or nearby, in to see Louis without annoying hospital personnel or tiring out Louis.”

Liam gives Niall an exasperated look.

“Whatever, Payno, you know you like organizing things,” Niall says and heads off down the hall to Louis’ room.

Liam does immediately start muttering about Skype, Facetime, and visitor’s rules. Harry watches with a fond smile that slips off his face when he realizes he’s going to have to face Louis’ mum and tell her what happened, tell her what he’d done. He doesn’t think she’ll blame him, but he actually thinks he might feel better if she did. He tows Liam off somewhere they can use their mobiles. Harry decides to call his own mum, who he probably should have called hours ago to let her know what happened. He hopes talking to her will make him not feel so bad.

~~~

Liam is magic, Louis decides. Liam had got them and a security team installed into a huge gated mansion that belongs to someone Simon knows (“Aw, Si, I’m totally your favourite, aren’t I?” Louis had asked when Simon had told him. Simon had laughed, but he hadn’t denied it). Liam had also calmed the fans with some Instagram and Snapchat after the official management-crafted statement hadn’t done much to help. And, most importantly, Liam had somehow convinced Louis’ mum that they could take care of Louis and she could go back and be with his siblings. Louis loves his mum and usually he loves her caring for him, but watching her be worried about him and also hurting because Louis hurt, whilst also worrying about things back home, where Earnest and Doris had both fetched up sick with colds and Daisy had had some sort of dust-up at school, wasn’t something he liked. So, Liam is magic.

Niall may also be magic because him sitting next to Louis on the frankly, obscenely enormous bed, idly strumming his guitar, as Louis lies propped up by various cushions, makes Louis feel less awful. Louis can’t even just sit somewhere unless it’s at a really odd angle because anything else puts pressure on his arm or his bruises and holding himself rigid like that causes headaches and sore muscles (they had tried cushions on various seats, but given the amount it took and how they tended to quickly migrate, they gave it up pretty quickly). Plus, he’s given up even trying to wear shirts because his shoulder just makes them more trouble than they’re worth and his skin sticks to certain seating materials. So when he’s not up, slowly walking around, he’s in the bed.

Harry, however, is not magic. Harry will be in here any minute now to shoo Niall out. Niall, who is making this less unbearable for Louis. And it is dreadful. Beyond the pain, he can’t read or watch something for more than twenty minutes before his head starts aching and he gets nauseated, never mind video games. He can’t move at all quickly and he gets tired much too easily. So other people are the only thing saving him from the torture that is boredom. And Harry keeps chasing them away. And Louis had been letting him, at first. Because Louis knew how guilty Harry has been feeling and how badly he wants to make up for causing Louis to fall, however accidental it may have been. Louis has been trying to get Harry to stop, but Harry won’t listen. Harry seems to think if _anyone_ stays near Louis for too long, they’re somehow going to make him worse. If this keeps up, Louis will have to do something drastic (maybe send someone over to Harry’s place to take his wardrobe and hold it hostage until Harry sees reason).

Just as Louis had expected, Harry comes in and says, “Niall, come on, let’s go, Louis needs his rest. And be careful getting off the bed, don’t want to jostle him.”

Niall gazes at Harry and says, “Nope.”

Harry looks just as surprised as Louis feels. “What?”

“Sorry, mate, we’ve been tiptoeing around you for that last few days and I’m done. We all get that you feel guilty. Louis got hurt because you tripped. It was an accident and we all know that. It could have happened to any one of us, because of any of us. Hell, it has happened to all of us. Any one of those slips or trips or the wrestling or whatever could’ve ended much worse than they have. I’m not saying don’t feel guilty because my saying it won’t make you feel it any less. But you got to figure out how to move on from that. I promise, I promise that me sitting here with him won’t make him any worse. And when he gets tired and wants me to go, then I’ll go, but not before then,” Niall says.

Harry just blinks for a moment, then his shoulders slump. “I know I’ve been a terror. I’m just so-“

Louis cuts him off, “Harry, I know.”

Harry tries again, “But I-“

Louis talks over him, “Harry. I don’t blame you, but if you need to hear it, you’re forgiven.”

Harry looks down and Louis’ afraid he might cry.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to make fun of your clumsy arse when we’re doing press or on tour again,” Louis says.

Harry laughs a little and then sighs. “Wouldn’t expect anything less, Lou.” He smiles a little apologetically at Niall and leaves the room.

Louis arches an eyebrow at Niall. “Well, Niall, now that you’ve got me alone-“

“In bed,” Niall interjects.

Louis nods. “Alone and in bed-“

“Vulnerable,” Niall says.

Louis looks at him sceptically.

“At my mercy?” Niall tries.

Louis considers that and goes along with it. “Now that you’ve got me alone, in bed, at your mercy, what are you going to do with me?”

“Have my wicked way with you, of course,” Niall says, with an odd expression on his face. Louis thinks he’s trying to look fiendish, but it really doesn’t come off.

Louis is going to continue their banter, but pauses. “Do you _have_ any wicked ways?” Louis asks curiously.

“A few.”

“What are they then?”

“Not telling. You’ll get too excited and that’s not a good idea when you’re like this.”

“Bit full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“For one of my ways, you’d be full of me, too.”

Louis bursts out laughing. It hurts, but it feels good too.

Niall looks quite pleased with himself, though he does cringe a little, especially when Louis’ hand goes to his ribs.

Louis rolls his eyes at Niall. “I’m fine. Didn’t you just get done telling Harry I’m not a fragile little flower?”

Niall shrugs a little. “Just, don’t like seeing you hurting.”

“Oh, yeah? ‘Cause the last time I fell off my skateboard, you laughed until you cried and trust me that fall hurt.”

“You were playing footie on a skateboard, you brought that on yourself. And you were fine afterwards.”

“I bruised me b-“ Louis cuts himself off before he gets the last word out, but it’s too late.

Niall looks delighted. “Aww, Lou, you bruised your arse. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Louis feels his face go a little red, but soldiers on and tries to turn it around. “Did you want to kiss it better?”

Niall sort of freezes and Louis watches in fascination as he colours. Niall swallows and looks down, picking at the strings of the guitar, more fidgeting than actually plucking, then he stops and sets the guitar aside. Niall doesn’t look up. “Yeah,” he says softly, voice shaky.

Louis stares at him, memories and things he knows about Niall shifting and rearranging themselves in his mind. After an rather awkwardly long silence, Louis says, “My shoulder hurts.”

Niall’s head snaps up, his expression startled, then concerned. “I can get you some water, so you can take your pain pills.”

“Nah, I think I need something else to make it better,” Louis says looking at Niall pointedly.

Niall’s face scrunches up in confusion, but clears when he realizes what Louis is angling for. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Niall moves then, climbing off the bed. Louis opens his mouth to ask what he’s doing, but closes it as Niall scoops up his guitar and deposits it gently on the carpet leaning against a wall. Niall climbs back on the bed and crawls up to Louis’ side. He drops a light kiss on the point of Louis’s shoulder. “Better?”

“My neck hurts a bit too.”

Niall carefully positions his body and puts his hands on the bed on either side of Louis and hovers over Louis, not putting any weight on him. He dips his head and kisses the right side of neck, then the left side, then the centre. He pulls his head back up and looks at Louis expectantly.

“My cheek is a little sore.”

“Which one?”

“Right, no, left, both.”

Niall smiles then softly kisses first one cheek, then the other. He pulls his head back a bit, but not much, his lips about an inch from Louis’. “Anywhere else?”

Louis licks his lips and says, “Yes,” in a solemn tone. “My feet. They’re aching something terrible.” He widens his eyes at Niall and smiles widely.

Niall laughs as if Louis has just said the funniest thing ever. Louis loves it when he can get Niall to do that. Niall pushes up and starts to make his way to Louis’ feet, willing, as ever, to follow where Louis leads.

“No, wait. Did I say my feet? I meant my lips.”

Niall stops and looks at Louis. He raises an eyebrow. “Sure about that?” Niall asks teasingly.

“I’m sure,” Louis says and instead of the light-hearted reply Louis had intended, it comes out serious and heartfelt, like he’s not just talking about a kiss.

And Niall just lights up, smiling.

Louis shakes his head. “You look like I’ve just given you the world.”

“Nah, that was when the doctor said you’d be okay. You’ve just given me all the stars in the sky.” 

“And I know how much you love astronomy.”

Niall carefully clambers back up to hover over Louis again. “Yes, I do,” Niall says simply, clearly not talking about astronomy at all. He kisses Louis gently on the lips in a way that feels like a promise.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you find any typos or if the format is messed up or if you think I need any tags.


End file.
